Idaho primary saw spike in voter participation

More than 30 percent of Idaho’s registered voters participated in this year’s primary election, marking the highest turnout in 16 years.

According to state election results, roughly 264,000 out of the 826,400 Idahoans registered to vote cast a ballot in May 15 election.

Secretary of State Lawerence Denney says the average turnout in Idaho’s primary elections has typically hovered around 25 percent in recent years.

However, Denney says that high-profile races in both Republican and Democratic primaries helped contribute to the higher-than-normal election participation.

Kootenai County had the lowest voter turnout, with just 22 percent of the northern Idaho county’s registered voters making it to the polls. Kootenai County is the state’s third most populous county. In comparison, similarly populated Ada and Canyon counties saw a 32 percent voter turnout.